The Past Express
by Moppet Poppet
Summary: Post-Hogwarts. Harry is sent back in time to watch as the events that lead to his G-grandfathers death unravel, however He finds himself thrown into the action, were every move He makes could bring him closer to the truth...or his own demise.
1. A Trip and a Fall

I was trying to find some ideas for a new story when this came to me in the form of a C.D. box.

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Disclaimer: The wonderful J.K.Rowling owns everything to do with the Harry Potter universe and Broderbund.

I'd just like to say I have no idea were to put this story, the second chapters up but I still don't know. You know they make films into books and then books into films and films into T.V. shows and T.V. shows into films and films into computer games? Well…this is a computer game made into a book.

The past express

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Life for Harry Potter had been pretty much uneventful in the last 10 years, after Voldemort's down fall, the wizarding world had rejoiced and the boy who lived slipped away to a lonely country manor and was forgotten.

So it came as quite a surprise to _Sir_ Harry Potter when Dobby ran into his master bedroom with a message from the headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore.

27 year old Harry slowly made his way across the grounds of his old school. His pace was steady and the way he held himself, was an indication of his self-confidence, although at the moment he wasn't feeling partially confident. Anxious and apprehensive was more or less the plan for today.

As harry continued up another steep bank he pulled out the letter, which was causing him all the trouble. There was nothing in the letter that suggested bad news or any other reason for anguish. Harry couldn't explain it he just felt disoriented by Dumbledor's words.

Arriving at the main entrance Harry pulled open the doors. The entrance hall was just how he remembered it as a child; the white marble floor was highly polished, while the grand old staircase to the left spanned elegantly upwards to the 1st floor and beyond. He quickly made his way up to Dumbledor's office. At his departure from the moving staircase he found himself face to face with the great Albus Dumbledor himself.

'Ah, Mr Potter I'm so glade you could make it. I was just about to settle down for a pot of tea and a plate of Hagrid's rock cakes, would you care to join me?' the old headmaster questioned, motioning toward a tea tray on his desk.

Harry nodded his agreement and settled back in an offered chair ' although, I might give the rock cakes a miss' Harry said smiling, he'd only been there 5 minuets and already he was feeling at home.

'That may well turn out to be a wise choice' Dumbledor said eyes twinkling, he then continued 'This may all seem a little rushed, but time, ironically, is not on are side.'

'As you know I have many objects to help me jog my memory, but alas age does hinder the mind and I forgot, until yesterday, an Idea I had many years ago when I met your great-grandfather. Well ever since then, I've been waiting for you to become old enough for me to test my hypothesis.

'Ok' Harry said slowly 'what _is_ your hypothesis…. And how can I help you test it'

'Well as I said before there's not much time you'll need to leave soon' Albus Dumbledore said 'but I do believe I can give you the basics of what I would like to happen'

'Go ahead' Harry felt so good at being back at Hogwarts and talking to his old headmaster that he thought he'd probably agree to what ever his professor suggested 'I hope I'm going to like this' Harry continued jokingly.

Dumbledore looked at harry seriously ' I'm not sure you will Harry, though it _will_ provide it's self as an interesting experience.'

'Now I'll get to the point as fast as I can, as I said, I met your great-grandfather a long time ago.

The last time I saw him, it was at a train station in Paris on the 24th July, it was 1914 and the world was on the brink of world war one and as far as anyone knows the train he caught pushed it over the edge.

'Your great-grandfather, was just about to board the Orient Express when I turned up to see him off, in the short time I'd known him we'd become somewhat close friends.'

At this Dumbledore poured tea into two of the dainty porcelain teacups, Harry was quite intrigued by the bantam roseate flowers that decorated the whole circumference of the teacups, he could only imagine how tiny the brush that painted those flowers must have been.

'They are beautiful, aren't they?' Dumbledore asked sensing Harry's gaze, Harry only nodded his answer.

'They were a gift from a friend of the family for my 20th birthday, I'll admit I wasn't as grateful at the time as perhaps I should have been. As a 20 year old I had other things in mind, the sort of things every one in their 20s should be thinking about.' He said looking poignantly at Harry.

'What?' asked Harry not catching on to fast. 'Oh!…why are you looking at me like that'

'You really shouldn't spend all your time locked up in that mansion of yours, you should get out and enjoy yourself while your still young, you wont be young forever, you know? Take my word for it. You might even get to like going out and you might even find yourself a nice young lady'

'Don't you start too, you sound just like Sirius' Harry said exasperated 'I don't want to go any were at the moment, I just want to relax for a while'

'Harry you've been _relaxing _for the past ten years, how long are you going to keep this up for, you're going to have to show your face in public one of these days'

Harry suddenly stood up at this and said angrily 'I should of known this was all you wanted to _talk _about, I bet Sirius put you up to this didn't he?'

'We're all worried about you Harry, why wont you listen to us?'

'I've listened to you, so can I go now?' Harry asked impatiently, he was feed up with people poking their noise's into his personal life, when all he wonted was to be just left alone.

'Ok Harry, I'm sorry, do come back and sit down. We seem to have flown a little off course in our conversation.'

Harry sank back down into the red velvet chair that sat opposite Dumbledore's and picked up his teacup calmly and took a sip, looking up at Dumbledore for him to continue, as if the whole last part of their conversation hadn't taken place.

'Well, were, was I…oh yes I remember. Your great-grandfather, Christopher Potter boarded the Orient Express as I waved him off.

'Know ones sure of everything that went on, over the next 3 days, we know bit's and pieces from the other passengers, but no one knows what goes on behind closed doors.'

At this point Dumbledore stopped and looked at the small carriage-clock on his desk ' I really should speed this up, I need to get you on your way soon. Well all you need to know is when the train pulled up at its last stop-Constantinople-Christopher was found dead in the baggage compartment, with a stab wound in his back.'

Harry stared at Dumbledore for a moment 'what happened to him' He asked a bit shaken.

'That's one of the things I want you to find out, I've written this letter which will explain who you are to him. You'll stay with him in his compartment at night, he'll have a double to himself, Christopher always did like his privacy. It would be preferable if you could spend the day time out of his way; we don't know when or were his killer will strike, though I believe it will sometime on the last day, as he was seen alive on the first 2 days.'

Harry used this pause in Dumbledore's speech to ask a couple of questions.' How can I find out what happened to him? What do you mean shear a compartment with him? It was over 90 years ago!'

'Have I taught you nothing in the last 27 years, Harry? You'll have to take a time-turner back in time and then you will be able to find out all we wish to know. I think it would be best if you were to keep some kind of log or diary of everything that happens and for things you find out.'

'I can't believe you're serious about this, what happened to not changing the past?' Harry questioned

'You won't be changing the past jut observing it. Once you've seen what happens you'll turn the time-turner forward and come home.

'You need to leave now, there's not much time.' Dumbledore explained brandishing a time-turner 'It's been set to send you to the train, it'll compensate for some time but not much, we really need to get a move on, never healthy to arrive on an moving object. Here put it on.' Dumbledore rushed, pulling the gold chain of the time-turner over Harry's head.

'Won't I need a change of cloths or something.' Harry asked.

'All taken care of, I took the liberty of asking Dobby to prepare a weekend bag for you. Here take your bag.' Dumbledore continued, handing Harry a small brown leather bag. 'You'd better put this somewhere safe as well.' He said passing Harry the letter for his great-grandfather, Harry quickly pocketed it in the inside of his jacket.

'All set…good. Now this time-turner is set to decades, so for each time you turn it you'll go back 10 years, so 9 and 1/3 turns should be just right…. here let me do it for you.' Dumbledore took the time-turner in his hands and turned it the correct number of times.

The last thing Harry heard before the headmasters office faded out of view was, Albus Dumbledore wishing him good luck.

The next thing Harry knew his feet felt as if they had been lifted off the floor and he was flying backwards at a tremendous speed, a deafening drowning sound filled his ears. Strange coloured blurs passed to front of Harry's eyes, the last thing Harry thought was that he was going to pass out, then everything fell black and silent.

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If you like you know what to do…


	2. Coats and Conductors

Hello all! This is the second chapter of The Past Express.

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Disclaimer: J.K.Rowling and publishers own All the Harry Potter bits, while Smoking Car Productions might own some of it too.

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Right first things first. I don't know were about the Orient Express travels at present (it might well be India), but this story is set on the original Orient Express (Which travelled through Europe, I don't if there was a version of this train in any other continent). It's actually the last journey the train made, as it was put out of service at the start of world war one and didn't resume until 1932. 

^

Paris, July 24 1914

As the darkness ebbed away, the rattling sound of a train carriage filled Harry's ears. Opening his eyes Harry found himself slumped in a corner of a small rich navy blue carpeted area, his back pressed up against hard polished wood.

Looking around this section of the train, Harry found that all the walls were made of the same wood that he could only identify as mahogany, which was varnished and glossy. Behind him there was a door that looked as though it opened to the outside, in front of him there was another door which also seemed to lead outside.

There were two more doors one, to Harry's left, and one to his right. 

Standing up Harry glanced behind him, through the window of the first door and saw the countryside speed by as the train rapidity moved along the tracks, it seemed the initial two doors did take you outside.

Harry now attempted to brush any dust off his person, with both hands and at that moment realised he didn't have his weekend bag with him, he turned in a complete circle looking all around but it wasn't there.

Ok, Harry thought, he'd ether left it back in Dumbledore's office or he'd somehow lost it during the trip back in time.

Harry quickly ruffled through his pockets until he found the letter for his Great-grandfather, well he thought to himself at lest nothing else is missing…He trailed off as he noticed something _was_ missing…. the Time-Turner was gone.

How could he have arrived here with out the time-turner, if it had been lost during the trip, it would have pulled him along with it to its new destination. 

So that left one other possibility, someone must have taken it when he was unconscious, he'd have to get it back otherwise he had no way of getting home.

Harry was sure his great-grandfather would be able to help, once he'd convinced him of who he was. Taking a deep breath Harry composed himself and opened the door to his left and walked through it.

On the other side of the door there was a panel that looked like it housed some sort of controls. Side stepping the wall on which the panel was situated, Harry found himself looking down a corridor of what looked like a sleeping car. 

Harry started making his way down the verdant green carpeted hallway to his left there was window after window each with it's blinds half drawn against the quickly falling night sky, and to his right he past doors and their numbers, one after the other, ten, nine, eight, seven-

'Excuse me mousier' said a man, with a distinctive French accent, as he past. He was wearing some kind of brown uniform with gleaming brass buttons and hat, he seemed to be some kind of guard…. a conductor perhaps.

Moving his hand to the man's arm, Harry stopped him; the man seemed to work on the train, so he would surly know his way around. The conductor turned to Harry expectantly.

'Excuse me, can you tell you tell me which compartment is Christopher Potters.' He asked hopefully

'Oh Monsieur Potter, excuse me, your compartment is number one' 

The conductor then continued up the corridor the way Harry had come and seated himself in a chair that Harry must have past but never noticed. Once settled in his chair the conductor had a perfect view of everyone going in or out of their compartments. 

Harry then decided to make his own way to his great-grandfather's compartment, considering what the conductor had said Harry ether looked a great deal like his great-grandfather or the conductor hadn't met him yet.

That brought another problem to Harry's mind. How were they going to explain an extra passenger; they'd ether let Harry stay on board, on account of the fact the compartment was a double and already paid for, or they'd throw him off at the next stop, and he'd never unravel what was going to happened to great-grandfather. 

As he past the rooms he started counting the door numbers off in his head again. Five, four, three, two…one.

Standing outside the door he took time to appreciate its design, there was a large green panel on the top half of the door which had a large gold coloured pattern of a single thin leafed plant painted upon it. The rest of the door was the same mahogany as the walls, although it seemed slightly darker, it was most probably just the light, Harry thought to himself.

Harry then realised he'd been purposely stalling himself, from entering the room, he couldn't put it off any longer, taking another deep breath he knocked on the door neatly with his knuckles and braced himself for an answer.

An answer, that he didn't get.

So he knocked again, once, twice, three times. No answer. ' Hello?'. Again no answer.

'Hello? Mr. Potter, are you in there' It felt strange to be calling someone else Mr Potter. Maybe he's in the dinning car having something to eat, Harry thought to himself, he couldn't go walking the dinning car, with everyone watching and enounce he was from the future, he'd have to wait until his great-grandfather came back. 

Harry then made up his mind to wait inside the compartment, there was no point waiting outside. Especially when his great-grandfather could arrive at any minuet and Harry didn't think it would be wise for them to be seen together, not until they had sorted out what they were going to tell people, like the conductor. 

Harry slowly placed his hand on the shining gold plated door handle and pushed it downwards while quickly pulling the door open, and froze in the doorway.

The sight that met Harry's eyes was horrific, the first thing he saw was a young man's face, three deep cuts ran down his face parallel to each other, the start of the cuts was just above his eyebrow, they travelled over his closed eyelid and across his cheek.

The man, who could only be Harry's great-grandfather, was sprawled on the floor he was wearing dark brown trousers, waistcoat, and bow tie with a plan white shirt, all covered in blood, he was indisputably dead.

Waking himself out of his current state of insensibility, Harry quickly glanced out of the compartment and down the corridor, were he saw, to add to his now mounting panic, the conductor making his way towards him.

Harry quickly pulled his head back in the compartment and slammed the door shut. He then attempted to lock it, but his hands were clammy and he couldn't turn the catch…after a couple of seconds, Harry calmed himself down enough to wipe his hand on his jacket, and finally turn the lock with a satisfying 'click'. 

Everything was going wrong; if he or the body were found he was sure to be arrested at the next stop and he couldn't stay locked in the compartment the conductor would have a key and he needed to find the time turner.

Making up his mind, Harry steeped over his great-grandfather's body and pushed up the window, allowing the roar of the train to fill the compartment and the wind to whip at his hair.

Soundlessly, Harry then quickly bent down and hauled the body into his arms, this man was heavy and he staggered slightly under its weight.

Just at that moment several knocks sounded from the door in quick succession 'excuses me Monsieur, it is the conductor' came the distinctive French accent.

Not saying a word Harry quickly moved back towards the window and, muttering a silent good bye, tipped the body out, it landed on it's side and then rolled and tumbled away into the gloom of nightfall, as the train continued on it's pre-marked path. 

'Monsieur, Potter are you in there' It was the persistent voice of the conductor.

Striating his cloth, Harry was just about to open the door, when he glimpsed a patch of dark carmine blood on the arm of his jacket.

Harry didn't know how he could have been so dim-witted, as to not realise the body's vital fluid, would end up on himself, if he picked the remains of his great-grandfather up.

Smoothly moving back towards the window Harry shrugged off his jacket and through it out. Turning to the side Harry spotted what must have been his great-grandfathers coat; it was dark green, fitted and looked as though it would reach halfway down his thigh.

'Monsieur Potter, it is the conductor' he said rattling the door handle 'could you open the door please'

Wasting no time, Harry through on the coat, which was made of a thick fabric, and fastened the buttons and tied the belt, as he moved towards the door ' yes' he called to the conductor as he opened the door.

' Monsieur Potter, Herr Schmidt is waiting for you in the restaurant car' he paused for a moment then asked 'shall I bring him a message'

Herr Schmidt? Harry thought. 'I'll be right there' he said to the conductor, who nodded and made his way back up the corridor.

Harry shut the door and collapsed on to the rich green sofa to the right of the door. He needed to think.

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A/N: Well is it a piece of art…or a piece of something else…

(Do you know who I am?) Is that your name or a question? And I don't unless you're the anonymous unnamed one…thank you all the same.

Amy potter: yes it will be, hopefully he'll meat someone who looks familiar…

Lothlorien: I hope you liked this bit…

Tsar: thank you 

Korinna Myorin: thanks, what do you think of this chapter?

Review if you like it, don't review if you don't like it. 


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